Alerting device and system for abnormal situations

Patent 5572201 Issued on November 5, 1996. Estimated Expiration Date:

August 5, 2014. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.

Abstract Claims Description Full Text

Patent References

2025106

3293600

3371278

3673560

3758775

3784970

3854119

Emergency vehicle warning system
Patent #: 3997868
Issued on: 12/14/1976
Inventor: Ribnick , et al.

Control system with improved communication for centralized control of vehicles
Patent #: 4093161
Issued on: 06/06/1978
Inventor: Auer, Jr.

Light assembly and flasher circuit
Patent #: 4108405
Issued on: 08/22/1978
Inventor: Gibson

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Inventors

Application

No. 286624 filed on 08/05/1994

US Classes:

340/902, Transmitter in another vehicle (e.g., emergency vehicle)340/901, EXTERNAL CONDITION VEHICLE-MOUNTED INDICATOR OR ALARM340/904, Transmitter in one vehicle only455/45Via subcarrier

Examiners

Primary: Hofsass, Jeffery
Assistant: Pope, Daryl

Attorney, Agent or Firm

Leydig, Voit & Mayer, Ltd.

Foreign Patent References

263253 EP. 04/25/1988
333194 EP. 09/25/1989
479613 EP. 04/25/1992
484246 EP. 05/25/1992
495136 EP. 07/25/1992
508369 EP. 10/25/1992
507069 EP. 10/25/1992
2615797 DE. 10/25/1977
3734320 DE. 04/25/1989
3832455 DE. 07/25/1989
3915099 DE. 11/25/1990
4117787 DE. 03/25/1992
4034681 DE. 05/25/1992
4123857 DE. 08/25/1993
57-152215 JP. 09/25/1982
63-136831 JP. 11/25/1986
64-44630 JP. 08/25/1987
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1-130630 JP. 11/25/1987
63-136832 JP. 06/25/1988
1-259639 JP. 10/25/1989
2-213229 JP. 04/25/1990
2-10712 JP. 07/25/1990
3-106129 JP. 05/25/1991
3-148924 JP. 06/25/1991
3-188716 JP. 08/25/1991
3-212029 JP. 09/25/1991
4-126415 JP. 04/25/1992
4-144414 JP. 05/25/1992
4-144413 JP. 05/25/1992
4-140911 JP. 05/25/1992
2027481 ES. 03/25/1990
664639 CH. 03/25/1988
944128 SU. 07/25/1982
90/07237 WO. 06/25/1990

International Class

G08G 001/00

Abstract

A warning system for alerting a person to an emergency situation which includes a transmitter responsive to a visual or acoustic alerting system for transmitting an alarm signal on an RF carrier and a control signal on a sideband of the carrier. A tuneable receiver for receiving commercial broadcasts in a normal operating mode transfers to an emergency mode upon detection of the control signal and converts the alarm signal to an acoustic signal. In one embodiment, the visual or acoustic alerting system is a siren and light system of an emergency vehicle. In this embodiment, a transceiver is preferably included for dedicated communications among emergency vehicles. The range of both the transmitter and transceiver complement and are substantially the same as the effective range of the visual or acoustic alerting system.

Other References

Brochure entitled "Feasibility Study of In-Vehicle Warning Systems", prepared by U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C. 20590, May 1975
Product brochure for The Lookout.RTM. National Emergency Vehicle Warning System receiver units by the South Carolina Sheriffs' Association, three pages (undated)
1993 NERAC Inc. report entitled "Problem Solving Report RDS," identifying 73 citations from a database search and providing abstracts for each of them
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Information Storage Devices, Inc. product brochure entitled "Introduction to DAST" (Direct Analog Storage Technology), four pages, May, 1992
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First Written Opinion of International Application No. PCT/US/09706, which is the PCT cognate of the above U.S. application, mailed May 8, 1996 based on International Search Repor